Book Review by Cody Badaracca

26 October 2012 Valley Voice Book Review Living Like Lebowski By Cody Badaracca an utterly pointless stands apart from their annihilating opposite, nihil- endeavor and an ism…To the Dudeist way of thinking, life is a liquid Life, like a good White Russian, is a delicate balance; utterly beautiful being passed from temporary container to temporary cold ice, fiery vodka, a Yin and Yang of half and half past time…it is container. It’s a distinctly pragmatic approach to mak- creamer and Kahlua liqueur. It needs to all be mixed this: Take some- ing sense of this strange movie that we’ve all walked just right to make the enjoyable beverage. But balance thing heavy and into the middle of.” Forget about the TOE (theory of is not an easy thing to achieve as any good gymnast unwieldy and set everything) and abide with whatever the cosmos rolls or stumbling drunk will tell you. If the cocktail has too it in motion. Try your way, like stated on Dudeism.com: “Life is short much vodka or Kahlua, it (like life) can be overwhelm- to let it flow with and complicated, and nobody knows what to do about it. ing. Too much ice or creamer and it tastes watered balance and be- So don’t do anything about it. Just take it easy, man…. down or bland. This balance takes practice and needs tween a tension do your best to be true to yourself and others - that is guidance with the aid of two books: the first, a good of opposites. Sit to say, abide.” mixology or bartending 101 manual. The second and down and rest. more important is a copy of The Abide Guide: Living Then stand up The Dude Abides. Take comfort in that. Despite being la- Like Lebowski by Oliver Benjamin and Dwayne Eutsey, and try again.” beled a “bum” and pushed around by fascists, The Dude the founders of the “Church of the Latter-Day Dude.” is perfectly content with who and where he is in life, Dealing with unlike his bowling buddy Walter – a Vietnam veteran Dudeism. A religion based around the character Jeffrey all facets and devout Jew who is indignant and reacts to every- “The Dude” Lebowksi as played by Jeff Bridges in the of TBL thing, no matter how small. Where Walter pulls hand- movie The Big Lebowksi (TBL) by the Coen Brothers. and laden guns on people for minor infractions of THE RULES, with Lebowski-puns and drawings (yes, the book has The Dude’s mind is limber and he tries to welcome the You may be asking: “what in God’s holy name are you pictures, if that piques your interest), The Abide Guide world with open hands. “If you’re not going to approach blathering about?” is parceled into three sections. The first is a tongue- the ‘whole durn human comedy’ with an open, affable in-cheek New Testament to The Dude, who is interest- attitude, then you’re not going to get the point. Friendli- Never heard of TBL? You live a deprived life. For those ingly Christ-like in his appearance. “Wiser Fellers than ness is the only asset you can share that doesn’t cost into the whole “brevity thing”: Jeff Lebowksi is an ag- Ourselves – Dudeist History” is a quasi-scholarly text you anything.” The Dude esteems friendship, even with ing ex-hippy living in Los Angeles in the early nineties showcasing other “Dudes” in history like Mark Twain, his landlord who asks if The Dude can watch his dance – right around the time of our conflict with Saddam Emily Dickinson, and Lao-Tzu. It discusses the rela- cycle and give him notes. The Dude replies, “I’ll be there, and the Eye-rackies. He’s a loser. A dead beat. Someone tionship between Dudeism and feminism, politics, and man,” and indeed he is. the square community doesn’t give a shit about and whether or not TBL is a “stoner film.” The final section preoccupies most of his time with driving around, is a self-help reference with instructions in Dude-Jitsu, While it is easy to laugh at Dudeism in the same way bowling and the occasional acid flashback. Also, no one some kind of Yoga and how to Feng Shui one’s pad to people make fun of Trekkies and Lord of The Rings calls him “Lebowski.” He’s The Dude, so that’s what you make it completely unspoiled. Although the authors fans, or write off The Abide Guide as pseudo-religious call him…that or “Duder”, or “His Dudeness”, or “El seem to lose their train of thought sometimes within pop culture hogwash based on a movie, there is actual Duderino” if you’re not into the whole “brevity thing.” the sections and can get verbose, the twofold ethos of substance to the book; and over 150,000 ordained the book shines through and is really half and half of Dudeist priests worldwide. “If we understand it Life is good for The Dude until one day he comes home the same idea: correctly ‘mere’ entertainment has always been an to find two thugs in his bungalow demanding money essential part of religious life, especially in Western from him. The Dude is prey to a case of mistaken identi- 1) Just take it easy. civilization…we agree with many wiser fellers than ty. It turns out the thugs were looking for the other Jef- ourselves who say that movies serve a similar purpose frey Lebowksi; the millionaire Jeffrey Lebowksi. No big 2) Abide. today. Filmmakers reach into the same deep, mythic deal, except one of the thugs peed on The Dude’s rug, pools that their theatrical forebears plumbed to create and it really tied the room together. In trying to gain Simple as that. There’s even an illustration of The narratives they hope will resonate profoundly with compensation from the other Jeffrey Lebowski for his Dude holding tablets like a stoned Moses with those viewers.” rug that’s been micturated upon, The Dude is thrown maxims etched into them. Taking cues from Eastern into a film noir plot where a girl has been thought philosophy and religions like Taoism and Buddhism, Why not make a religion based on The Big Lebowski? kidnapped, a toe cut off, and everyone from known Dudeism emphasizes the NOW and the importance of The Coen Brothers are no amateurs when it comes to pornographers to nihilists are trying to scam a million being present in it. Just take it easy – one of the many cinema. Anyone who has seen their other films like O’ dollars from The Dude – money he doesn’t have. lines repeated throughout the film, and a notion glossed Brother, Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona, or Fargo over in an age of instant technological gratification, might agree. Fabulous stuff, man. The movie wasn’t a blockbuster polemic politics and celebrity worship. The Dude takes when it premiered in 1998, but has since gained a cult it easy. He bowls, has some burgers and beers with his Littered with interesting footnotes ranging from Ni- following worthy of Rocky Horror Picture Show status, friends, and does Tai Chi on his rug. That’s about it, etzsche to Kurt Cobain’s first band, and dissecting vari- sans the transsexuals. An aptly named “Lebowskifest” aside from the occasional acid flashback. And emphasis ous details of TBL, Benjamin and Eutsey obviously put was started in 2001 in Louisville, Kentucky to honor should not be placed on The Dude’s drug regiment or a good deal of thought into The Abide Guide. It’s worth all that is Lebowski. Eleven years running of beautiful the fact that he’s a lazy man, which he most certainly the read, if only to make you laugh to beat the band tradition, the festival consists of a costume contest, is. Again, it’s all about just taking it easy. (which is part of the point). The authors write: “We lawn party, screening of the movie, and a lot of bowling need not indulge in illusions.” – a line borrowed from and White Russians. A lot. While you can’t really label that a philosophy (‘cause the 60’s political manifesto, The Port Huron Statement what is a philosophy?), it also is not a call to sense- (which The Dude claims to be a co-author of), “That To segue, if the whole White Russian/life metaphor isn’t less hedonism or worse, despite The Dude adhering to sentence just about wraps it all up, doesn’t it?” your thing, how about bowling? As Benjamin and Eut- a strict drug regimen. “[T]here’s more to it than that Indeed. Parts, anyway. sey write, “there is no sport better suited than bowling – though the Dude stands in stark contrast to the big to help visualize the nature and art of living. It is both over-arching ideoloskies of the 20th century, he also .

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